Chelsea make £68m player their number one target for the summer

Chelsea have reportedly identified Matthijs de Ligt as the player they want to sign above anybody else in the next transfer window.

This is according to Corriere dello Sport, who claim the Juventus defender has become the ‘number one goal’ for the Champions League holders.

The Blues are no strangers to circling De Ligt’s signature.

Last May, Tuttosport stated that the Serie A side had already rejected one attempt from their Premier League counterpart to sign the centre-back.

Calciomercato then followed this up by stating ‘a new assault’ was being readied by the English capital city club.

As of yet, this proposed move for the Dutch international hasn’t yet left the drawing board.

However, the written plans might materialise into something more solid as the month’s role by.

Especially if Juve decide De Ligt no longer belongs in their black and white jersey.

Questions over the 22-year-old’s future with the Italian team have been lingering for some time, spurred on by his infamous agent, Mino Raiola.

These queries were heightened after the arrival of Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina last month.

Despite Juve’s precarious economic situation, they still managed to splash £66.6m (Sky Sports) on the Serbian striker.

Understandably, the Old Lady’s board will be feeling the financial strain of this particularly deal, however profitable it might become on the pitch.

Tuttosport suggested that to balance the books, Juve might be looking to remove De Ligt from the wage bill.

Currently, he apparently earns around €12m (£10m) per year plus bonuses, which equates to €250,000-a-week (£200,000).

Slice that off the bank account and the bloated cash gut looks a lot slimmer.

Which is even more reason to sell De Ligt, just three years after his £67.5m (BBC) transfer from Ajax.

If he becomes available to the market, Chelsea may push others out of the way to fulfil their own necessities.

Thomas Tuchel could be losing at least one of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen or Cesar Azpilicueta once the campaign concludes.

A sizeable hole in the squad will need filling if any of them depart South West London.

Despite his general struggles in Turin, De Ligt still possesses the capabilities to be one of the game’s best centre-halves.

Perhaps he needs to prove himself as a Premier League star, against world class centre-forwards, for this to happen.

Working alongside Romelu Lukaku would certainly help, an attacker De Ligt rates very highly.

“The way he plays makes the difference for Chelsea,” the Dutchman said ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League tie with Juve.

We just hope this saga doesn’t drag on for an age; Erling Haaland was enough for one summer.

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Report: Chelsea make £68m player their number one target for the summer, he’s a big fan of Lukaku